What is Washboard Express?

Washboard Express is a way for me to express my own opinions, to be a provocative gadfly, by writing a "letter a day" to the President. I may miss a day here and there, because sometimes my family with be my first priority, but my goal is to write a total of 365 letters, representing one full year. To say I have opinions about most things would be to understate the obvious. Those of you that know me, know this is true, those who don't know me, will learn that it's true. The Washboard is a reference to going back to basics and "keeping it clean," so if you would like me to post your comments or opinions on this blog, I only ask that you be respectful. So go ahead, express yourself, and I look forward to an exchange of ideas and opinions.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Letter 105... Dear Mr. President... Too many distractions... time to end the Wars.

Letter 105

Dear Mr. President:

With all the distractions around us evolving minute by minute it’s hard to stay focused on the things that are really important. Specifically, I’m speaking about the men and women still stationed around the globe, fighting to keep the peace (if you can call it that) in Iraq, and the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

While many are focused on the Occupy Wall Street protests, or the increasingly crazy GOP candidates debating everything from 9-9-9 to names on rocks in Texas… we still have men and women putting their lives at risk everyday for America.

While the need to put people back to work and get our economy moving again is critical… it is also critical that we remember our service members and the sacrifices they continue to make day in and day out.

Just to put things in perspective for a minute… the cost of the war as of September has been $1,252,755,589,828.00 and counting. Yes, that number is Trillion… with a capital “T”. The U.S. military deaths in Iraq are 4,475, and in Afghanistan it’s 1,777. That’s just the “military” deaths, it doesn’t include contractor or civilian deaths. (Statistics compiled and provided by Grandmothers of Peace International)

I realize you have a lot on your plate just keeping this country from completely going into the toilet, but these men and women must not be forgotten. They need to remain in the forefront of everyone’s mind… to do less is to make their sacrifices just another footnote in history… we simply cannot do that. It’s not fair to them, it’s not fair to their families, and most of all it’s not right.

So perhaps Mr. President, it’s time to bring our men and women home so we can collectively focus on jobs and the economy. We can no longer ask our service men and women to put their lives on hold, or ask their families to continue to sacrifice while we squabble over the terminal gridlock in Congress. Squabble over who’s being an obstructionist, who signed what pledge, and who’s right and who’s wrong.

When peoples lives are at stake, those lives must take precedence over everything else that’s going on in this country and around the world. If it was Malia, or Sasha wouldn’t you feel that way Mr. President? Put yourself in the shoes of the parents with kids serving in Afghanistan, and ask yourself this… I’m I doing everything possible to end that war? Have you put those men and women at the top of your priorities list, or have they already become less important that the 99%’ers?

It’s time to end the wars, stop the hemorrhaging of American dollars in wars that cannot be won, and most of all… stop the loss of even one more American life.

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About Me

Having just retired after 15 years in magazine publishing, I thought I would venture into the wide world of Blogging. In my 66 years I've gained some insight about a few things. Most are silly observations about life in general. Some are serious, involving politics, and what I perceive to be right and wrong. My goal is to be somewhat of a gadfly, so if I goad you one way or the other, I've accomplished my goal.